Quelle belle semaine de Carnaval à Elder’s Mills PS!
Our school came together to celebrate la semaine du Carnaval with energy, enthousiasme, and plenty of school spirit. Throughout the week, students enjoyed Bingo, special classroom activities, and a très excitant visit from Bonhomme, who brought smiles and cheers wherever they went.
Today’s outdoor festivities were a highlight of the celebration! Students participated in Tug of War, Relay races, Collective Creations, and more, working together in the spirit of coopération et esprit d’équipe. Laughter filled the yard as classes encouraged one another and embraced some friendly competition. Bravo à tous!
A special merci goes to our Grade 8 students, who led the activities with leadership and pride. Their organization, positivity, and engagement helped make this week such a success. We are also proud of the Grade 8 student leaders who were assigned to support each class, ensuring everyone felt included and ready to join the fun.
Mais ce n’est pas fini! The celebration continues throughout the month with our traditional Banner competitions. We look forward to seeing even more créativité et esprit scolaire on display.
Merci to everyone who helped make Carnaval Week such a memorable and joyful experience for our students. Vive le Carnaval!
Term 1 Report Cards
Electronic copies of report cards will be distributed electronically to families/caregivers and available on the Family Dashboard. New! Only Grade 4-8 students will receive student report cards via their GAPPS accounts.
Access Report Cards in the Family Dashboard When Available
Schools will be sharing student report cards for all students Kindergarten to Grade 12 in the Family Dashboard. You will receive an email when your child’s report card is available.
- For families who do not yet have a Family Dashboard account, you can sign up for an account at any time at family.yrdsb.ca. You can find information on how to create an account on the Board website or in this instructional video.
- For families who have a Family Dashboard account, but have forgotten their password: from the login screen, select “forgot password” to create a new password.
The Family Dashboard gives parents/guardians secure one-stop access to information and applications related to your child’s education. It is designed to make it easier for families to engage with their child’s education.
Please note, you can still request a printed copy of your child’s report card if you prefer by contacting your child’s school.
Updated Contact Information
We also want to remind families that it’s important that the school has updated contact information for students and parents/guardians, including home address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contacts. This will ensure that the school can contact families in case of emergency, and also that you continue to receive important communications and updates from the school. Please contact the school directly with any changes.
PINK SHIRT DAY
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, marks Pink Shirt Day, a globally recognized initiative that promotes anti‑bullying and encourages upstanding behaviour. It serves as a reminder of the importance of standing up against all forms of hate and discrimination. On Wednesday February 25, we encourage all students, staff, and community members to wear PINK to promote anti-bullying.
Planning to Move? Not returning to EMPS in September?
As we begin our planning for the 2025-2026 school year, we kindly ask you to inform the school office if your family has plans to move over the summer, or if your children will not be returning in September for any reason. This information helps us to ensure a smooth transition for all students and to make necessary staffing arrangements for the upcoming academic year.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated and helps us in planning effectively for the new school year. Thank you for your support.
ANTI-SEX TRAFFICKING AWARENESS DAY
February 22 has been designated by the Canadian House of Commons as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. This annually designated day raises awareness about human trafficking in Canada and around the world, and serves as a reminder of the steps we can take to help end these practices.
NO ENTRY IN BUS LOOP!!!
The first and most important priority for the use of this area is for the arrival and departure of school buses and the disembarking and loading of our students, your children, onto the buses at arrival and dismissal.
This area is also used by emergency vehicles. It must stay clear.
We have observed several vehicles in the morning driving up onto the boulevard at the top of the bus loop to drop off their children. This incident creates a traffic jam as buses are now waiting to get into the loop while the driver attempts to maneuver off the boulevard.
Use the Kiss’n’Ride to drop off students at any time of day.
Use the Kiss’n’Ride to pick up students at any time of day.
Please do not stop on Napa Valley Ave to drop off your child/children.
A reminder that if you arrive to pick up your child between 3:00 - 3:15 p.m., you will be asked to park and wait until 3:15 dismissal time.
We appreciate your cooperation to ensure the safety of our students, your children.
The Pick-Up Deadline:
If a parent plans to pick up their child (rather than having them take the bus), they need to notify the main office no later than 2:30 PM. This way, it gives the staff enough time to communicate the change appropriately. Otherwise, the child will go home on their regular bus to ensure a safe and orderly dismissal.
Parents arriving to pick up their child between 3:00 - 3:15 will be re-directed to wait in the Kiss'n'Ride/School Parking Lot until regular dismissal time at 3:15 p.m.
Ramadan @ EMPS:
Elder's Mills is committed to supporting student needs during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
During this time, we usually experience an increase in the number of students who wish to access prayer space.
To provide us with an indication of student needs and to support communication with classroom teachers, please fill out the form, Ramadan 2026 - Prayer Space, if you wish for your child to be excused from class during prayers.
As in previous years, space will be provided during snack and lunch for students observing the fast for Ramadan.
Merci.
EXTREME COLD WEATHER (YRDSB POLICY/PROCEDURE)
Cold temperatures and the presence of ice and snow make winter in Canada a naturally more hazardous season. When severe weather occurs, such as blizzards, freezing rain or extreme wind chill, conditions that are already challenging can become even more dangerous. As with all severe and hazardous weather, knowing what to expect and how to prepare your child is essential.
Winter temperatures in the minus teens and even minus twenties are not uncommon for many Ontario students to face as they travel to and from school. Health authorities, such as York Region Public Health Services, advise that risks arising from cold weather come from prolonged exposure of unprotected skin.
Strategies
- Refer to Environment Canada’s Information about Cold Weather or Environment Canada's Information about Wind Chill Index
- Students are to come to school ready for winter and prepared to be outdoors for both recess (20 mins) and lunch recess (40 mins).
- When temperatures and/or wind chill reach minus 20 degrees Celsius or colder, students will remain inside for indoor recess/lunch recess.
- When temperatures and/or wind chill reach minus 18-19 degrees Celsius, the outdoor portion of recess/lunch recess will be shortened.
- Students with health concerns, such as, but not limited to, heavy colds, coughs and flu, which are serious enough to prevent them from participating in physical education, recesses or other outdoor activities, should remain at home until the condition improves.
- Children need to be dressed properly for our invigorating winter days. It is advisable for students to bring extra pants and socks. A change is often necessary due to the wet and cold weather of the winter months. To avoid adding to the clothing collection in the Lost and Found, parents/guardians should be advised to label all articles of clothing, including but not limited to, boots, hats, mitts/gloves, scarves, and snow pants.
- Remind your child to engage in physical activity while outdoors, such as walking or playing, to increase metabolism – which generates more body heat.
Artificial Intelligence Guidelines
As technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes part of everyday life, we’re working to ensure students understand how to use these tools in ways that are safe, responsible and helpful for learning.
We are taking an approach by grade level:
- In Kindergarten to Grade 6, students will learn about AI - what it is, how it works and how to think critically about it. They will not use AI chatbot tools.
- In Grades 7-12, students will have access to Board-approved enterprise AI tools beginning February 17, 2026. These approved tools, including Google Gemini, meet strict security and privacy standards and are education-licenced accounts.. These tools do not use student data to train AI models and provide a safe, controlled environment for learning.
York Region District School Board has developed guidelines for educators and students to support the effective, safe and responsible use of AI to support student learning. Students will learn about the importance of critical thinking, academic integrity and privacy and safety practices when using AI.
We encourage families to review these guidelines with their child(ren). For more information, please visit the AI pages on the Board website.
Yearbook
Staff and students are collaborating to create a 64-page, full-colour yearbook filled with highlights and memories from the school year. Yearbooks are $32.00 and are now available for purchase through School Cash Online.
Yearbook Photos - Consent
Yearbooks chronicle the activities of the school and student body. They are produced for sale (hard copy or digital) to students and the school community. School yearbooks may be placed in the school library in hardcopy or electronic format.
Class photos, photos of your child's participation in school clubs, activities and events, work products by your child, and your child's achievements may be published in the yearbook along with their grade and full name.
Please complete and submit this form if you DO NOT CONSENT to your child's photo and/or name being published in the yearbook. Complete a separate form for each child. Submit by March 27, 2026.
Student Personal Information Consent Form
School Spirit Wear
The online store is open. Merchandise ordered will be delivered to the school every 3 weeks. All proceeds will fund school enhancements and programs. Shop online by following this link: https://stores.inksoft.com/eldersmills/shop/home
School Council
Visit the School Council pages on the website for upcoming dates and events: https://eldersmills-ps.yrdsb.ca/school-council
The next School Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 2, 2026. All parents/guardians are invited to attend. Meetings are hosted in the school staffroom and remotely via meet link. We look forward to seeing you!
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
ELDER'S MILLS IS A SCENT-FREE/FRAGRANCE FREE LEARNING AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT.
On the Horizon...
February
February is Black History Month, Chinese Heritage Month, Random Acts of Kindness Month
Character Trait - Initiative
16 Family Day - School Closed
17 Lunar New Year
18 Ash Wednesday
18 Ramadan begins
18 and 19 - Grade 4 Field Trips
28 Pink Shirt Day
